12% of Marine Species in Tropical Eastern Pacific Threatened

2/23/2012

Gland, Switzerland/Arlington, Va — Twelve percent of marine
species surveyed in the Gulf of California, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica
and the five offshore oceanic islands and archipelagos in the tropical eastern
Pacific are threatened with extinction, according to a study by IUCN
(International Union for Conservation of Nature) and its partners. Main threats
to the region's marine flora and fauna include over-fishing, habitat loss and
increasing impacts from the El Nino Southern Oscillation.

Released this week, the study is the first IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species™ assessment available for all known species of marine
shore-fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, corals, mangroves and
seagrasses in a major marine biogeographic region. The analysis identifies
specific geographic zones where conservation efforts are needed most, including
around the mouth of the Gulf of California and the coastlines of Panama and
Costa Rica, while also identifying the nature and location of the greatest
dangers to marine life.

"Understanding species vulnerability to major threats is paramount for
determining how species and marine environments are likely to respond to one or
more simultaneous threats," says Beth Polidoro, Research Associate, IUCN Marine
Biodiversity Unit, and lead author of the study. "Identification of threatened
species and patterns of threat in the tropical eastern Pacific region can help
guide local and regional marine conservation priorities for biodiversity
conservation, as well as serve to inform policy."

In recent years, at least 20 marine species have gone extinct around the
world, and more than 133 local populations of marine species have suffered a
similar fate. These include the disappearance of the endemic Galapagos
Damselfish (Azurina eupalama) during the events of El Niño from
1982-1983. Drastic declines have also been documented across several marine
groups, including many populations of commercial fish, coral reef fish,
reef-building corals, mangroves, and seagrasses. Two commercial marine fish, the
Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) and the Giant Sea Bass (Stereolepis
gigas) are listed as Critically Endangered, and were once common in the
waters of southern California and the Gulf of California, Mexico. Both species
are extremely desirable for human consumption but have limited ability to cope
with severe over-fishing because they have long life spans and the large groups
they form when spawning are often targeted by fishers — reducing the chances of
rebuilding sustainable populations.

"Saving threatened species is the single most important thing we can do to
safeguard ocean health, which benefits millions of people that depend on
thriving and productive oceans," says Scott Henderson, Regional Director of
Marine Conservation at Conservation International and co-author of the study.
"This new study is a monumental scientific effort which gives governments and
support organizations the information needed to focus conservation dollars on
the species, places and problems that need help the most."

The findings reinforce that conservation action is needed for both marine
species and the geographic areas where they are most threatened. For example,
the creation of a marine protected area around Clipperton Island in the eastern
Pacific Ocean should be a high priority, as it has one of the highest
proportions of threatened species in the tropical eastern Pacific, and is the
only one of the five oceanic islands and archipelagos in the region that lacks
complete governmental protection. Legislation to limit mangrove removal from
important fishery nursing grounds along the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama is
also vital, according to the study. Additionally, better data collection,
reporting and monitoring for both targeted and by-catch fisheries species should
be an urgent priority for the improvement of marine conservation efforts
throughout the region.

"There are tangible steps that we can take to curtail the risk of extinction
of species in the tropical eastern Pacific," says Tom Brooks, NatureServe's
Chief Scientist. "For example, for the few fishery species that are threatened,
we must work towards better management on both local and regional scales. We can
make a difference, but first we must collect and use the valuable data
available."

This study was conducted by IUCN Species Programme Marine Biodiversity Unit
and partners, including the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), Conservation
International (CI), Old Dominion University, NatureServe, the Institute for
Marine and Antarctic Studies –(University of Tasmania), the Charles Darwin
Foundation and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

The paper, "Patterns of extinction risk and threat for marine vertebrates and
habitat-forming species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific" has been accepted for
publication in Marine Ecology Progress Series,
http://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/meps-home/. Advance copies of the paper can
be obtained from Beth Polidoro at bpolidor@odu.edu or beth.polidoro@iucn.org

About Conservation InternationalBuilding upon a strong
foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers
societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global
biodiversity, for the long term well-being of people. Founded in 1987 and
marking its 25th anniversary in 2012, CI has headquarters in the Washington DC
area, and 900 employees working in nearly 30 countries on four continents, plus
1,000+ partners around the world. For more information, please visit at www.conservation.org, or on Facebook or Twitter.

About the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape (ETPS)The
Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape (ETPS) supports marine conservation and
sustainable use of resources in the national waters, coasts and islands of
Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. At two million square kilometers (more
than 770,000 square miles), the ETPS is a region of abundant and spectacular
marine life with complex biogeography – including isolated islands, the
convergence of numerous currents and highly productive upwelling. CI works in
this region with support from the Walton Family Foundation to conserve and
sustainably manage the region's high diversity, endemism and concentrations of
species that support both fisheries and tourism.

Tropical Eastern Pacific Red List AssessmentsThe
Tropical Eastern Pacific Red List Assessments are a part of the Global Marine
Species Assessment's mission to complete more than 20,000 marine species
assessments for inclusion on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. The
Global Marine Species Assessment Unit (GMSA), or Marine Biodiversity Unit, is a
joint initiative of IUCN Species Programme and Conservation International. The
GMSA is headquartered in the Department of Biology at Old Dominion University in
Norfolk, Virginia, and is largely enabled by the generous support of the New
Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Tom Haas.

To complete the Tropical Eastern Pacific IUCN Red List assessments, the GMSA
collaborated with a wide diversity of international scientists who represent
Fisheries Management Organizations, international conservation organizations,
government agencies, universities, and independent fisheries research
institutions. The Tropical Eastern Pacific assessments were generously supported
by Tom Haas and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Conservation
International's Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascapes Program, in addition to the
Charles Darwin Foundation, SeagrassNet, BirdLife International, the University
of Costa Rica, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the IUCN Species
Specialist Groups (IUCN 2011). Scientific contributors to all of the seabird,
marine mammal, sea turtle, marine fishes, coral, mangrove, and seagrass species
assessments are acknowledged under each species on the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species™ (www.iucnredlist.org).

Complete results of the Tropical Eastern Pacific assessments were published
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ in November 2010.

The IUCN Red List threat categories The IUCN Red List
threat categories are as follows, in descending order of threat:

Extinct or Extinct in the WildCritically
Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable: species threatened with global
extinction;Near Threatened: species close to the threatened
thresholds or that would be threatened without ongoing specific conservation
measures;Least Concern: species evaluated with a lower risk
of extinction;Data Deficient: no assessment because of
insufficient data. Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct):
this is not a new Red List category, but is a flag developed to
identify those Critically Endangered species that are in all probability already
Extinct but for which confirmation is required, for example, through more
extensive surveys being carried out and failing to find any
individuals.

About IUCNIUCN, International Union for Conservation of
Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing
environment and development challenges.

IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and
greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field
projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and
companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN is the world's oldest and largest global environmental organization,
with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer
experts in some 160 countries. IUCN's work is supported by over 1,000 staff in
45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around
the world. www.iucn.org

About the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species™ (or the IUCN Red List) is the world's most
comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of plant,
fungi and animal species. It is based on an objective system for assessing the
risk of extinction of a species should no conservation action be taken.

Species are assigned to one of eight categories of threat based on whether
they meet criteria linked to population trend, population size and structure and
geographic range. Species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or
Vulnerable are collectively described as 'Threatened'.

The IUCN Red List is not just a register of names and associated threat
categories. It is a rich compendium of information on the threats to the
species, their ecological requirements, where they live, and information on
conservation actions that can be used to reduce or prevent extinctions.

The IUCN Red List is a joint effort between IUCN and its Species Survival
Commission, working with the Red List partners BirdLife International; Botanic
Gardens Conservation International; Conservation International; NatureServe;
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas A&M
University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London. http://www.iucnredlist.org/

About the Species Survival Commission (SSC)The SSC is
the largest of IUCN’s six volunteer commissions with a global membership of
around 7,500 experts. The SSC advises IUCN and its members on the wide range of
technical and scientific aspects of species conservation, and is dedicated to
securing a future for biodiversity. The SSC consists of more than 110 Specialist
Groups (SG). http://iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species

About Old Dominion UniversityOld Dominion University is
Virginia's forward-focused, public doctoral research university for
high-performing students from around the world. The university has 26 research
centers and a total enrollment of 24,000 students.http://www.odu.edu

About NatureServeNatureServe is a nonprofit conservation
organization dedicated to providing the scientific basis for effective
conservation action. Through its network of 82 natural heritage programs and
conservation data centers in the United States, Canada, and Latin America,
NatureServe provides a unique body of detailed scientific information and
conservation biodiversity expertise about the plants, animals, and ecosystems of
the Americas. www.natureserve.org

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute The
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama,
is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the
understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains
students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by
increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems.
Website: www.stri.si.edu